Former Genesis Guitarist Steve Hackett Talks to 1071 The Boss About New Book, Peter Gabriel and Eddie Van Halen (Audio)

Former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett was in Philadelphia for his tour of the United States when everything started to shut down for Covid-19.

“We were halfway through the tour when we found out things weren’t going to happen,” he told 1071 The Boss mid-day jock Michele Amabile. “States were closing down. We were in Philadelphia. We got as far as Philly. I was two weeks in to that tour. We got the last flight in from Philly to London.”

The good news about quarantine was it gave Hackett extra time to sign books and get the wheels moving for his new book, “A Genesis in My Bed,” his long in the works autobiography that is available for download on Kindle today.

The book offers a candid look into Hackett’s early life, his time with Genesis, and in particular his personal relationships with the other four band members, with great insight into the daily goings on of this major rock band.

Says Steve about the book: “It’s often revealing. There’s lace, loves and butterflies, and I explore personal feelings. I’ve answered many questions fans asked over the years too, such as why I left Genesis. It’s taken fifteen years to bring this book to fruition, writing between tours, recording and legal challenges, but that’s given me time to really develop it.”

Here are a few quotes from the book:

On joining Genesis…

He lifted his head and looked at me with a steely gaze… “You’ve heard of them, haven’t you?”

Once again I was up against that invisible wall, aware I could either choose to sit there and give in or climb over it. But once over the wall, you can never go back. I knew there and then I was about to take a leap of faith into that new world and that my life was about to change for good. I was to board a spaceship to a new planet with a bunch of aliens. I emptied my glass, put it down and walked out through the door into the sunshine, clutching that ticket to Mars.

On creating The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway…

We were writing and recording at high intensity. The Lamb is a dense album with tons of detail. Everyone brimming over with ideas, the record was as packed with themes as Times Square is filled with people on a busy night, vocals suddenly abrasive like the horn of a New York fire truck. Forget sweet dreams… the drama unfolds day and night.

The Lamb felt like a titanic adventure we were trying to survive… We struck icebergs, but bravely lurched on into shark infested, uncharted waters.

On leaving Genesis…

Had I done the right thing? It was a big risk and a huge step into the unknown. I was leaving a world class band that was by now filling arenas internationally. I had to trust in the power of my instinct and inspiration…

Anecdote about a border customs experience…

On one occasion, after customs found some residual illegal substance left by a previous band in the car we’d hired, we were taken off into separate rooms. The customs guys were confrontational and aggressive, challenging me with large dogs as I stood there without my clothes on. Then suddenly an alarm startled these jumpy characters who swiftly pulled out their guns and spun around wildly, nostrils flaring…

The book is available today. Non-signed books ship in August;

Amazon has the kindle edition available for this Friday in the U.S.:
https://www.amazon.com/Genesis-My-Bed-Steve-Hackett/dp/1912782383
Here is link to where the physical book is available on Steve’s website: 
https://store.hackettsongs.com/products/a-genesis-in-my-bed-book

To listen to the interview, which includes a deep dive into Hackett’s guitar playing secrets (and a little bit about his influence on Eddie Van Halen), plus how he originally caught the eye of Peter Gabriel, and what John Lennon thought of the group, click below!